Cops, Lawmakers Not Seeing Eye-To-Eye On Medical Marijuana

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) —
The fight over legalizing medical marijuana in Minnesota again faces fierce opposition from law enforcement agencies. Gov. Mark Dayton has said he won’t support a law unless police departments sign off on it first.

In a career that has spanned more than three decades, Chief Deputy Tim Leslie at the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office knows better than anyone the damage drugs can do.

“The Dakota County Sheriff’s Department will not be supporting it,” Leslie said. “We’ve seen what substance abuse does to families and individuals.”

Leslie said about 40 percent of his jail is filled with people with drug or alcohol problems. It’s why he doesn’t see a day where he could ever get behind legalizing something he believes would make it easier to get marijuana.

“That’s kind of our view of life sometimes,” Leslie said. “We see those that try to deceive the system.”